Combined earth impact excavation and post driving apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus is disclosed herein that is carried on a mobile transporter and which includes an upright frame laterally cantilevered from the bed of the transporter for supporting a vertically movable weight having an impacting ram for formation of the hole and a sidewall supporting sleeve. Hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblages are employed for selectively operating the weight so as to impact the sleeve for post hole sidewall support and subsequently for driving the post as supported by the sleeve and for removing the sleeve to complete the procedure.

United States Patent 1 Lisenby COMBINED EARTH IMPACT EXCAVATION AND POSTDRIVING APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Edgar J. Lisenby, l3l36/2 Saticoy St.,Los Angeles, Calif. 91605 [22] Filed: Dec. 29, I971 [2H Appl. No.:213,285

[51] Int. Cl E2lb H02 [58] Field of Search 175/19, 23

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 790,910 5/1905 McClintock175/23 X 1,210,160 12/1916 Frankignouln... 2,660,403 ll/l953 Rolandl75/l9 [1 1 3,744,578 July 10, 1973 Primary Examiner-Ernest R. PurserAttorney-Roger A. Marrs [57] ABSTRACT 9 Claims, 9 Drawing FiguresPATENTEDJUL 1 o m SHEET 1 (I 3 060? Jo L/SEUSV LO Q INVENTOR,

COMBINED EARTH IMPACT EXCAVATION AND POST DRIVING APPARATUS BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates toearth boring and post driving equipment utilizing a drop hammer and,more particularly, to a novel apparatus of this class adapted to be usedfor preparing the earth with a hole for receiving the post and fordriving the post once it is confined in the hole.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the past, it has been theconventional practice in the excavation field, as well as other fields,to employ a drill rig carrying rock or soil drilling apparatus fordrilling holes such as are required preparatory to the installation of avertical shaft or post. After the hole has been prepared, additionalequipment carrying post driving equipment is employed to insert the postinto the hole and to forcibly urge the post therein. Conventional drillrigs and post drivers are unnecessarily unwieldy and cumbersome to setup for operation and service. For example, most drill rigs employed inthe field of surface drilling are required to be firmly anchored tonearby structures or the adjacent ground area. At times, the anchoringarrangement may become quite extensive. Identicalproblems are alsoencountered in the use of conventional post driving equipment.Furthermore, it isthe normal practice to form a hole in the soil orearth by excavating with a rotary drill screw or the like. In otherinstances, the post is actually pounded into the earth by a hydraulichammer. It is difficult to pull out or extract a drill rod or auger fromits bore hole by conventional methods and problems are encounteredwithguiding the drill so that the hole is vertical andits sidewalls firm soas to avoidcrumbling.

The difficulties encountered with the use of drill and post driving rigsis particularly acute in specialized situations such as when fence postsare to be installed adjacent'heavily frequented roadways andfreewayswhere SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 1 constitutes an improvement overthe disclosure of the access to the installation site is restricted andvehicular traffic poses a danger not only to the equipment but to theworking personnel. Under such conditions, the equipment must beself-contained, capable of functioning in a relatively restricted andconfined area and be adapted for rapid and portable movement to and fromthe work site. The removaland subsequent storage or transportation ofthe dirt away from the drilling site is generally an expensive and timeconsuming proposition.

Typical examples of conventional drilling rigs are disclosed in U.S.Letters Pat. Nos. 2,919,899; 2,562,276; 2,594,098; and 2,639,892.However, none of these references disclose a. means for guiding thedrilling tool, supporting the sidewalls of the excavated hole or foreliminating the necessity of dirt storage or transportation. Therefore,these devices suffer from one or move of the defects noted above.

One attempt to provide a guide means for a drill rig and post drivercombination is disclosed in my U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,447,613. However,the guide 62 disclosed therein does not support the sidewalls of a holeand the weight 20 does not dig or form the hole intended to receive thepost which causes delays and increases job time at the working site.

device in U.S.Letters Pat. No. 3,447,613 and the disclosure set forth inapplication for U.S. Letters Pat. having Ser. No. 845,299.

In one form of the invention, a frame is provided for movably supportingand guiding a hydraulically operated weight assembly having an impactram carried thereon substantially conforming to the cross-sectionalshape of a post intended to be installed. The frame carries a guidebracket for slidably supporting a sleeve member beneath the weightassembly so that the sleeve enters and moves into the ground whenimpacted by the weight assembly.The ram of the assembly passes throughthe central passageway of the sleeveto forcibly impact the ground so asto create a hole therein having its sidewalls supported by the sleeve.Piston and. cylinder assemblages are carried on the frame operable toextract the sleeve from its installation in the ground preparatory toinsertionof a post into the ram prepared hole.

Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention toprovide a novel post hole evacuator capable of impacting the ground toprepare and form the hole while incorporating a removable sleeve forsupporting the walls of the hole: while being formed.

Another object of the present'invention is to provide a novel post hole.formingapparatus utilizinga hydraulically operated ram for impacting theground to form a hole.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a unique ramapparatus for forcibly impacting the earth to form a hole and tosimultaneously drive a wall supporting sleeve therein. Meansare providedfor removing the sleeve after formation of the hole to its desireddepth.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a uniqueapparatus for producing a hole formation which eliminates dirt removalfrom the site and requires a minimum of equipment and attachmentstherefor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features of the present inventionwhich are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in theappended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization andmanner of operation, together with further objects and advantagesthereof, may best be understood by reference to the following.description, taken in connection with the accompanying: drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the novel post hole formationapparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front 'elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1illustrating the hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblage for liftingandreleasing the weight assembly;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the hole sidewall support sleeve;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the sleeve;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the sleeve extracting meanscarried on the apparatus frame; and

FIGS. 6-9 are transverse cross-sectional views of the weight assemblyand sleeve as taken in the direction of arrows 6-6 of FIG. 3 andillustrating a hole formation and sleeve installation and extractionprocess.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, the novelpost hole boring or formation apparatus of the present invention isillustrated in the general direction of arrow 10 which may include aself-propelled mobile carrier (not shown) taking the form of a truck orother vehicle. The truck generally would include a flat bed extendingrearwardly from the cabin enclosing a conventional motor and driverscompartment. The truck is movably carried on wheel sets and an operatorsconsole is generally carried on the flat bed which includes thenecessary controls for operation of the apparatus. Such controls may beconsidered to be included within the block identified by numeral l1 andspecified control system. For the purposes of the present invention, itis not necessary to show the truck, flat bed or means for universallymounting the post hole formation apparatus of the present inventionsince such means are adequately disclosed and described in issued U.S.Pat. No. 3,447,6l 3 and co-pending application, Ser. No. 845,299.

For clarification purposes, it may be said that upright arm 12 issuitably carried by a piston and cylinder assemblage on the flat bed ofthe truck while a pair of arms 13 and 14 are suitably carried at one endon a universal mount and turntable assembly as disclosed in the prioridentified issued patent.

The apparatus of the present invention includes an upright frameconsisting of vertical spaced-apart members l5 and 16 which are joinedat their upper ends by means of a bracket 17 and are coupled at theirlower ends by means of a guide bracket 18. The frame as i1- lustrated isin a substantially upright vertical position; however, it is to beunderstoodthat the frame may be projected laterally in a cantileveredfashion from the side of the truck bed between its wheel sets. The frameis employed for movably mounting and guiding a weight assembly 20 whichis adapted to slidably move between the opposite side members and 16 ofthe frame. The weight assembly includes a major portion at one end whichincludes outwardly projecting guides 21 and 22 slidably mounted withinrail flanges carried by opposing sides of the side members 15 and 16. Bythis means, the weight assembly may readily move in a verticalreciprocating action between the side members 15 and 16 as guided by themembers 21 and 22 within the respective restricted flanges of the sidemembers. The forward end of the weight assembly 20 is provided with animpactram 23 having an impact head or end 24 adapted to forcibly engagethe surface of the ground during hole formation. The impact ram 23 issubstantially similar in cross-section to the transverse crosssection ofthe post intended to be installed in the formed hole. Consequently, itis to be noted that the ram 23 is of lesser dimension than the overallwidth of the upper end of weight 20.

Mounted on one side of the upper end of the frame there is provided ameans, indicated by arrow 25, for raising and lowering the weightassembly 20. This latter means includes a hydraulic piston and cylinderassemblage 26 and 27 via a rope 28.

Located between the side members 15 and 16 of the frame and at the lowerend thereof, there is provided a sleeve 30 having a central passageextending therethrough which is slightly larger in dimension than thedimension of the post intended to be placed in the formed hole. This isalso to be understood that the central passageway through sleeve 30 mustalso accommodate the insertion and withdrawal of the hammer ram 23 whenit is lowered so that no binding will occur. The sleeve 30 is supportedwithin the guide bracket 18, although it is to be understood that thesleeve 30 is in sliding relationship with respect to the guide bracket18 and it may be readily removed therefrom or slid through the centralopening of the bracket 18 as desired. End 31 of the sleeve is intendedto engage the ground surface where the hole is to be formed while itsopposite end includes a continuous flared wall 32 that terminates in animpact pad or plate 33. The impact pad or plate 33 is disposed in amanner so as to be struck or forcibly impacted by means of a pair ofshoulders 34 and 35 at the end of the upper portion of weight 20 andseparated by the ram portion 23. Therefore, it can be seen that when theweight assembly 20 is lowered, the ram portion 23 will enter theelongated passageway of sleeve 30 until the shoulders 34 and 35 strikeagainst the plate or pad 33 which forces the end 31 of the sleeve intothe ground. During the downward stroke of the weight assembly, end 24 ofthe ram will strike the ground terminating the end of the elongatedpassage of sleeve 30. Upon striking the ground, the earth therebeneathwill be compressed and impacted. The piston and cylinder assemblage 25is employed to withdraw the weight assembly 20 to its uppermost positionwhere it is again released and the ground further impacted until thedepth of hole desired has been reached. At such time, the sleeve 30 isextracted by means of a pair of piston and cylinder assemblagesidentified by numerals 36 and 37 and numerals 38 and 39 respectively.Means are carried on the end of pistons 37 and 39 which are identifiedby numerals 40 and 41 which engage with the undersurface of a pair ofside rings or members 42 and 43 that extend outwardly in fixedsecurement from opposite sides of the sleeve 30.

Referring now in detail to FIG. 2, the means for lifting the weightassembly 20 are clearly illustrated in which it can be seen that thepiston and cylinder assemblage 26 and 27 is operably connected to theweight assembly 20 by means of rope 28 that travels over pulleys 45, 46and 47. Pulley 45 is rotatably carried on the end of piston 27 whilepulleys 46 and 47 are rotatably carried on bracket 17 of the frame.

Referring now in detail to FIG. 3, the sleeve 30 is illustrated whichincludes the impact pad 33 carried on top of the continuous flared wall32 by any suitable means such as bolts, screws or other fastening means.Outwardly projecting from opposite sides of the sleeve flared wall,there is provided the pair of retainers or guides 50 and 51 which arereadily, slidably disposed between the flanges of the opposing surfacesof side members 15 and 16. This permits the sleeve 30 to be supported bythe frame between the side members thereof and within the centralopening of guide 18.

Also carried in a similar fashion by the continous flared wall of thesleeve 30, there is provided a pair of elements 52 and 53 having holes54 and 55 running therethrough. The latter holes or apertures areintended to slidably receive the pistons 37 and 39 respectively for theextraction means employed to remove or extract the sleeve 30 from aformed hole. The elements 52 and 53 may take the form of rings or bars.It is intended that the undersurface of these elements be engaged byextractors 56 and 57 shown in FIG. 5. These extractors are carried onthe extreme ends of pistons 37 and 39 respectively. The surfaces of theextractors 56 and 57 intended to engage the undersurface of elements 52and 53 are provided with pads 58 and 59 respectively -so as to absorbshock or other damaging loads.

Referring now in detail to FIGS. 6-9 inclusive, an actual operationdescription of the invention will be set forth. Initially, the sleeve 30is positioned within the central opening of guide 18 so as to rest atthe site of hole preparation. Hydraulic rams or pistons 37 and 39 may beextended so as to rest on the surface of the ground on opposite sides ofthe guide 18. Next, the piston and cylinder assemblage 25 is actuated soas to permit the weight assembly 20 to drop between the side members and16 of the frame. The ram 23 of the weight assembly will enter and passinto the elongated passageway of the sleeve 30in the direction indicatedin FIG. 6 so that its end 24 will impact against the earth beneath. V

In FIG. 7, it can be seen that the impact surface 24 exceeds the lengthof sleeve 30 so as to project beyond its sunken end by approximatelythree inches. The earth beneath the ram is compacted as the ramprogresses downwardly for its full stroke. The ram may be raised andagain dropped until a sufficient depth has been reached. During thedownward travel of the weight assembly, shoulders 34 and 35 will strikethe impact plate or pad 33 and drive the sleeve downwardly into theground. During the withdrawal of the weight assembly, thesleeve willprevent dirt from falling into the hole prepared by the ram. Thesidewall of the hole is thus protected and supported by the bracing ofthe sleeve. At each stroke of the ram, the sleeve has moved deeper andthe depth of the hole has progressed further extraction means.

In FIG. 8, a post 60 is positioned in the sleeve and the ram 23 impactsor strikes against the post so that the post is firmly driven into theprepared hole. The post is introduced into the central passageway ofsleeve 30 and held in position thereby while the weight assembly isreleased so that the impact end of the ram will strike the top of thepost and drive it downwardly.

With respect to extraction of the sleeve, once the desired depth of holehas been reached, the piston and cylinders associated with numerals 36and 38 are actuated so as to draw the pistons 37 and 39 upwardly wherebythe elements 40 and 41 on the ends of the rod or pistons will engage andcarry the elements 42 and 43 upwardly in the direction of the arrowsshown in FIG. 9. Such upward travel will extract the sleeve 30 over thepost which occupies the hole formation. Completion of installation mayfollow by compacting the earth around the post, by pouring cement orconcrete around the installed post or by any other suitable finishingprocedure.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made without departing from thisinvention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appendedclaims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within thetrue spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A combined earth impact excavation and post driving apparatuscomprising:

a mobile transporter;

an upright frame laterally cantilevered from said transporter;

a vertically movable weight having an impacting rarn slidably carried onsaid frame;

a hollow sleeve movably supported on said frame beneath said weight;

said sleeve having an enlarged flange carried at the entrance to theopening of said sleeve; and

said weight having shoulders engageable with said flange for forciblyurging said sleeve into the ground and said impact ram slidably disposedthrough the hollow of said sleeve to impact an excavation within theconfines of said sleeve.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 including hydraulic piston andcylinder assemblages carried on said frame and operably connected tosaid weight for raising and dropping said weight.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 including releasable clampingmeans carried on said pistons of said assemblages disposed to engagewith said flange for removal of said sleeve upon movement of saidpistons into said cylinders.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 including a guide bracketslidably supporting said sleeve on said frame.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 including impact pads carried onsaid clamping means engageable by said weight to withdraw said pistonsfrom their respective cylinders.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 including automatic control meansoperably coupling said weight piston and cylinder assemblage to saidsleeve withdrawal piston and cylinder assemblages for preselectiveprogrammed operation.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said impact ram iscarried on the underside of said weight in fixed spaced apartrelationship to said frame.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said sleeve removalpistons incilude means engageable with said clamping means operable towithdraw said sleeve from the ground as said pistons are withdrawn intotheir cylinders.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said sleeve withdrawalpiston and cylinder assemblages comprise a pair of pistons and cylindersand said weight raising means includes a single piston and cylinder.

a: w a:

1. A combined earth impact excavation and post driving apparatuscomprising: a mobile transporter; an upright frame laterallycantilevered from said transporter; a vertically movable weight havingan impacting ram slidably carried on said frame; a hollow sleeve movablysupported on said frame beneath said weight; said sleeve having anenlarged flange carried at the entrance to the opening of said sleeve;and said weight having shoulders engageable with said flange forforcibly urging said sleeve into the ground and said impact ram slidablydisposed through the hollow of said sleeve to impact an excavationwithin the confines of said sleeve.
 2. The invention as defined in claim1 including hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblages carried on saidframe and operably connected to said weight for raising and droppingsaid weight.
 3. The invention as defined in claim 2 including releasableclamping means carried on said pistons of said assemblages disposed toengage with said flange for removal of said sleeve upon movement of saidpistons into said cylinders.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 3including a guide bracket slidably supporting said sleeve on said frame.5. The invention as defined in claim 4 including impact pads carried onsaid clamping means engageable by said weight to withdraw said pistonsfrom their respective cylinders.
 6. The invention as defined in claim 5including automatic control means operably coupling said weight pistonand cylinder assemblage to said sleeve Withdrawal piston and cylinderassemblages for preselective programmed operation.
 7. The invention asdefined in claim 6 wherein said impact ram is carried on the undersideof said weight in fixed spaced apart relationship to said frame.
 8. Theinvention as defined in claim 7 wherein said sleeve removal pistonsinclude means engageable with said clamping means operable to withdrawsaid sleeve from the ground as said pistons are withdrawn into theircylinders.
 9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said sleevewithdrawal piston and cylinder assemblages comprise a pair of pistonsand cylinders and said weight raising means includes a single piston andcylinder.